TimeSearcher

Since microarray data often has temporal components, with gene
expression levels being measured every few hours, researchers are
often interested in finding genes with similar expression profiles
over time. Elevated or depressed activity often indicates
participation in specific cellular functions such as mitosis (cell
splitting) or apoptosis (cell death). These cellular functions may be
important in stopping disease processes such as cancer or promoting
healthy processes such as recovery from muscular dystrophy. Similar
processes may also important in promoting agricultural improvements or
stopping the spread of diseases. Dr. Eric
Baehrecke of the University
of Maryland Biotechnology Institute has been an active partner in
this project.

TimeSearcher can also be used for finding patterns in linearly ordered
sequences. Dr. Stephen Mount
of the University of Maryland
Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics has been using
TimeSearcher to explore occurrence frequencies for short nucleotide
sequences in large sets of aligned sequences. Using TimeSearcher to
identify patterns that occur frequently in some positions and
infrequently in others, Dr. Mount has been able to extend the
consensus definition of a branch site in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Our TimeSearcher provides a high degree of flexibility for
interactive exploration of temporal and sequence data, and it is
available to researchers and students to conduct their own research.